Waukegan worker picking up trash finds python

WAUKEGAN – A worker picking up trash in Waukegan found something he wasn't expecting: a 12- to 15-foot Burmese python.

Waukegan Police Lt. Ed Fitzgerald said the pale yellow snake was found Monday outside an industrial building near the Lake Michigan shore, about 40 miles north of Chicago.

Fitzgerald said animal control officers took the snake into custody with no problem, although it took a couple of people to wrangle the large creature. He says the reptile was lethargic because of the cool temperatures.

Fitzgerald said Waukegan police haven't gotten any reports about a missing python and the snake was probably dumped by someone who didn't want it anymore.

Rob Carmichael of the Lake Forest Wildlife Discovery Center said it's lucky the snake was found because it wouldn't have survived colder temperatures.